California Senator Kamala Harris has dropped out of the 2020 presidential race. Harris dropped out after her campaign failed to raise enough donations to pay her staff.
Harris reportedly held a conference call with her campaign staff earlier Tuesday in Iowa where she explained that the campaign was having financial struggles.
Her campaign hadn’t bought TV ads in months and she was forced to advertise on social media. Last month she laid off most of her campaign staff.
Harris, 55, polled poorly with Black voters who criticized her criminal justice record in California. Harris claimed she fought for criminal justice reform, but her critics say, as a prosecutor, she sent many Black men to prison.
Harris was former President Barack Obama’s early choice for the Democratic nomination.
Harris’ announcement on Tuesday comes after a disgruntled former staffer wrote a letter saying Harris treated her campaign staff like runaway slaves.
In the letter, obtained by The New York Times, Kelly Mehlenbacher wrote, “This is my third presidential campaign and I have never seen an organization treat its staff so poorly.”
Mehlenbacher added that she resigned from Harris’ campaign because she saw no hope of Harris winning the nomination.
“With less than 90 days until Iowa we still do not have a real plan to win… We have refused to confront our mistakes, foster an environment of critical thinking and honest feedback, or trust the expertise of talented staff.”
Harris is married to attorney Douglas Emhoff. They have no children.
